TY - JOUR
T1 - Hunter-gatherer populations inform modern ecology
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
JO - Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
SP - 1137
LP - 1139
M3 - 10.1073/pnas.1721726115
VL - 115
IS - 6
AU - Burger, Joseph R.
AU - Fristoe, Trevor S.
Y1 - 2018/02/06
UR - http://www.pnas.org/content/115/6/1137.abstract
N2 - Our species Homo sapiens is extraordinarily successful, yet we are still subject to the same environmental constraints, such as famine and disease, as all other organisms (1). Fundamental approaches from ecology and evolution have proven useful for understanding how interactions with biotic (other species) and abiotic (physical) surroundings influence humanity’s trajectory (e.g., refs. 2 and 3). Additionally, disentangling the forces that have limited human populations in the past has much potential to provide novel insights into how technological innovations have shaped human societies today (4). However, the utility of studying humans to address the large-scale ecological patterns and processes that determine species’ abundances (numbers) and distributions (geographic ranges) is generally overlooked. A study by Tallavaara et al. (5) in PNAS provides an instructive example of the dual value of studying human ecology.Humans are an abundant, widely distributed, and well-studied species. We know our physiological limits. Our ecological interactions with other species, especially our diseases, are comparatively well understood. There are good data on the abundances and global distributions of humans spanning hunter-gatherers (6, 7) to modern societies (Fig. 1 A and B). Tallavaara et al. (5) leverage the former to identify the complex interactions between climatic and biotic factors that constrain hunter-gatherer densities worldwide. Their primary motivation is to test a longstanding idea proposed by archeologist and late National Academy of Sciences member, Lewis Binford (6). In doing so, Tallavaara et al. (5) also provide one of the most detailed evaluations of what may be a widespread phenomena in biogeography (see below). Their work highlights intriguing questions for understanding how humans have rapidly transitioned from a sparsely inhabited planet of hunter-gatherers to the densely populated agricultural and industrial lifestyles of today.Fig. 1. Predicted densities of hunter-gatherers (A), modern humans in 2015 (B), and the difference in relative densities between … ↵1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: jrburger{at}email.unc.edu or tfristoe{at}email.wustl.edu.
ER -